Ultralight Hammock System Build Thread

[Osulagh]

Hey ya'll!

I do hope this style of thread is allowed. I've seen these on a lot on other forums, where someone has a build in mind, and they post questions and post plans of what they are doing. I find that they are a great help for newbies--to see someone else's adventures and results--and for the OP.


The Backstory:

I'm planning on taking a trip to Japan. Either two or three months. Planning on some stealth, urban camping, or perhaps even at a camp ground (weird idea, right?). I've always been a car-camper, either in tents, back of a truck, or in a RV. My family did have one of those net-style hammocks picked up at a garage sale that I think we put up once before condemning it to a box that got threw out later.

As I am backpacking, I was looking into ultralight shelter of some sort. Was looking at tarptents when I happened upon hammocks. After some research, I found that it sounded awesome to me. I've always hated sleeping on the ground or finding the right ground to sleep on.

I've done quite a lot of research, have gathered some experience and knowledge here and there--as I like being prepared--and feel like I'm ready to start.


The Setup:

I'm planning for a light, but dependable setup. I'm not going to be filing every gram off the setup; I still want to know I can rely on what I have if I need to--as I'll be thousands of miles away from home and from big-time repairs.

I'll be camping in the humid summer, meeting temps no lower than 60F, and I sleep cold. Might meet rain everyday, but low chance of a storm.


What I'm planning on making:

- Hammock. Probably 11feet long, black.
- Suspension. Lightweight, easy setup, variable.
- Top quilt.
- Under quilt. Probably half/three-quarter length.
- Tarp. Asymmetrical if I can.


To those who'll suggest help, answer my questions, and simply read my venture into hammocking: Thank you.

[Osulagh]

And to start off:

After copious amounts of research, I bite the bullet; I ordered 4 yards of Argon 1.6, 50ft of camo webbing, 50ft of Amsteel Blue in black, and some samples of the other Argon fabrics--as I plan to use them for quilts. All from Dutchware because it was easy to get it all in one place. Thanks Dutch and company!

Just a while ago, I setup a test run. I took the Argon as its full length without hems, whipped it to 10 feet and tied a knot at both ends. Made two woopie-slings and two continuous loops, and cut and tied off the webbing for tree straps.

I walked out of my apartment early in the morning (into chilly 60F for Vegas) to a set of trees I've been eyeing for a while. Two massive pine trees--probably 20 years old--on the side of my apartment building. I used the Hang Caluculator from TheUltimateHang.com and a measuring tape to determine what numbers I needed to match in the setup. Then I got to work. Tree straps were easy enough. Though I forgot the toggle and--let's call him--Bob the gardener for the complex is too good and didn't leave any sticks lying about. So I used a couple of chop-sticks for toggles for my marlinspike hitches. After the woopie-slings were larks-headed over the hammock knots, I hooked them over the hitches (on the knot, not the toggle... gotta keep repeating it as does everyone). I got to adjusting and checking the entire setup time and time again.

Then I got to the scary part: Trying it out. Oh god it was freaking out. I pulled the hammock apart to find the center, leaned down to sit slowly into it. And the crackling started! The bark on the trees crunched and crackled under my weight until I sat there for a minute to let it all settle. I started leaning more weight onto the hammock until I could pick up my feet. And then I didn't fall! Oh, how I was surprised. I read so many people trying their first hang out and falling countless times. But I didn't! So I turned in the hammock and laid at an angle, slowly shifting myself and the fabric to find a comfortable position.

After the initial run, I whipped the hammock to 11 feet and tried that all the same. This time I was far more confident and found myself more relaxed.

I'm unsure if the 11 foot hammock made any difference to me--I'll probably need an extended hang in both sizes to tell--but as of right now I'm happy. The hammock was comfortable, I had a good test run, and I'm sure that I want to really dive into this hobby.


Next up on the plan: Hemming the hammock and sewing the webbing into loops.

[FLRider]

I'll be camping in the humid summer, meeting temps no lower than 60C, and I sleep cold. Might meet rain everyday, but low chance of a storm.

It looks like you've done most of your research, and that you've got a solid plan of trying and testing different sizes and methods before making a final decision on the hammock system. That's great! I look forward to seeing what you wind up with.

However, I hope that the above (I bolded for emphasis) is a typo. 60 Celsius is 140* Fahrenheit, which is a little warmer than I'd want to sleep outdoors...

60* F won't require much insulation, even for a self-described "cold" sleeper; 60* C will require a portable air conditioning unit.

[Osulagh]

Oh, I thought I got all the typos! Yes, 60F.

I'm planning on about 1" to 1 1/2" of lift for the quilts with 850+ fill down with Argon 67, and I'll be testing them probably in the spring when the temps lower enough in the mountains around Vegas.


Actually, that raises a question: If I'm only camping in the summer at the lowest temp at 60F (probably around 70-80F average), should I just go with a half underquilt and not worry about feet and head chill?

[FLRider]

Oh, I thought I got all the typos! Yes, 60F.

I'm planning on about 1" to 1 1/2" of lift for the quilts with 850+ fill down with Argon 67, and I'll be testing them probably in the spring when the temps lower enough in the mountains around Vegas.


Actually, that raises a question: If I'm only camping in the summer at the lowest temp at 60F (probably around 70-80F average), should I just go with a half underquilt and not worry about feet and head chill?

In my opinion, yes. I'm a fairly warm sleeper, but if the absolute lowest you'll encounter is 60-ish, then go with a sewn-through ~1" loft 3/4 underquilt (60" x 48" is what I run with for even down into the 20s, albiet with much more loft). That'll come in in the ~8 oz range, total before suspension, if my off-the-cuff calculations are correct. And a 3/4 UQ is much easier to make than a full-length, due to the amount of tapering required at the ends (full-lengths almost have to be dual-differential cut; 3/4 don't, really).

A note on sewing sewn-through quilts: put a bright light under your fabric, right at the free arm of your machine, to allow you to see the markings on both layers of fabric as you feed it.

And, honestly, at 70*+, you may not even want anything underneath you at all. At 80*+, almost definitely. A 3/4 quilt will save cash and time and pack space.

Hope it helps!

[Bushwhacker]

Look up Sgt Rock's posts for ultralight: ghost hammock, UCRs (suspension)....

If you don't mind satiating my curiosity, how would stealth camping in Japan work? Last I heard, the population was so dense that it's cheaper for residents to fly to Vancouver to play golf.

[Just Bill]

Just a thought-
In high humidity, you may not want to use down.
At the low temps, not really much point in spending your money on it either, or springing for the ultra expensive water treated down.

Just getting started with things, you also wouldn't need to bog down in working with down, a synthetic like Apex just sews in like another layer of fabric, one layer of Apex 2.5 is plenty warm to about 50F. Thru-Hiker.com carries it.

[Beckyinma]

Just a thought-
In high humidity, you may not want to use down.
At the low temps, not really much point in spending your money on it either, or springing for the ultra expensive water treated down.

Just getting started with things, you also wouldn't need to bog down in working with down, a synthetic like Apex just sews in like another layer of fabric, one layer of Apex 2.5 is plenty warm to about 50F. Thru-Hiker.com carries it.

This is EXACTLY what I was going to post, forget the down if you're going to be in a humid environment.

[Osulagh]

Sorry I'm a bit late guys. Been busy...

Thanks for the info and tips FLRider!

Look up Sgt Rock's posts for ultralight: ghost hammock, UCRs (suspension)....

I've read through Sgt Rock's stuff a bit. I'm trying for a bit more dependable, lightweight setup, so going for the lightest of everything will be stretching things for me. But I'm taking his and other's suggestions for a couple things here and there to shed.

If you don't mind satiating my curiosity, how would stealth camping in Japan work? Last I heard, the population was so dense that it's cheaper for residents to fly to Vancouver to play golf.

The high density is in the larger cities. It's not like every inch of Japan is covered in people, it's just very concentrated in certain areas--like the Tokyo and Osaka area. In larger cities, I'm going to couchsurf, Airbnb, or get a hostel. Unless I find a prime area where I can hang, like in a large park or something. I'm not a big fan of big cities, or tourism at all. So I'm mostly going to be hanging out in the smaller cities and on the coast--where there's a lot of forests just a walk away.

Japan is a sort of odd country for backpackers. The homeless life and reaction to them is rather tame--no homeless beggars, homeless are overlooked easily. The police are really lenient. So urban camping and stealth camping is not exactly allowed, but is. I've heard of people being asked to move, or to vacate at sunrise. But no arrests that I know of. You still have to be smart and not take advantage of people, and know what to say when you get caught, but it's not a big problem.

Thanks!

Just a thought-
In high humidity, you may not want to use down.
At the low temps, not really much point in spending your money on it either, or springing for the ultra expensive water treated down.

Just getting started with things, you also wouldn't need to bog down in working with down, a synthetic like Apex just sews in like another layer of fabric, one layer of Apex 2.5 is plenty warm to about 50F. Thru-Hiker.com carries it.

I'm fine with spending the money on the down--I've also got some unproven fill down (high down/feather ratio) packed up somewhere. So it's not so much a problem for me.

With the synthetic vs down, I've heard a lot of people say not to use down in humid climates. Granted, I'm not going into the most humid climate available, and I'm surely going to have sun every day. From what I've read and talked to a lot of people who use down in very humid climates, like the Appalachians and down south, if the quilts do get bogged down, let them dry in the sun for a couple hours--which is totally fine for me. I'm also not going to be using them everyday of the trip, perhaps less than half the nights I'm there. So I'm going to go for down for now. Hell, if they do get soaked, it's not like I'm going to freeze to death. And I'm certainly not far from civilization.

I'll give synthetic some thought, but at the moment down's weight and compressibility wins me over. Thanks!

[Osulagh]

Money Shot Time!

Full hammock set up:

IMG_20141015_070126.jpg

I went with a medium between my hammock sized, 10' 5" (hemmed a bit too short and shortened myself an inch). Amsteel woopie slings to marlinspike hitches--toggled with bamboo--and 15' tree straps (for versatility). An adjustable amsteel ridgeline set at whatever inches 83% turned out to be. I tried a couple different whipping techniques and found the standard folding whipping with no pull-outs to work best for me (and I like the finished look better).

EDIT: Perhaps I should also comment on Argon 1.6. It's certainly not "soft" as in like a cotton bed sheet, but compared to most ripstop it is. The best way I can think of it is that it doesn't crinkle when smashed together, but just shifts like satin. Actually, satin is a decent comparison; sort of like a stiffer satin. My hammock is Argon, the stuff bag in both pictures is a practice stuff bag I'm using that I made from an old tent's 1.9oz ripstop.

And all stuffed in the bag: (suspension included)
IMG_20141015_070623.jpg

I don't have a once scale yet, but I can already guess it's over a pound with everything. Soon I'll make a double-sided stuff sack with enough room to pull the suspension inside.


One thing I discovered: I need Dutchware. I'm not liking how the marlinspike hitch roughs up the webbing, and looping the webbing through itself. So I'll have to order some Dutch buckles and clips soon.